Volume 15–2009

  Identification of the First Chinese Cases of H1N1 Flu
(Length:7:47)
In this podcast, Dr. Scott Dowell discusses the first cases of the new H1N1 influenza virus in China in May 2009, which occurred in three students who had been studying in North America during the early days of the pandemic and returned home to visit their friends and family. Chinese health officials acted swiftly to inveistigate and determine whether the students had spread their illness to others. The article, which appears in the September 2009 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, details what they found.
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  Investigation of Sylvatic Typhus at a Wilderness Camp
(Length:7:37)
In this podcast, Dr. Greg Dasch discusses an outbreak of four cases of sylvatic typhus that occurred at a wilderness camp in Pennsylvania. Sylvatic typhus is very rare in the United States, with only 41 cases since it was discovered in the United States in 1975. Lab work at CDC and the discovery that all four camp counselors who became ill had slept in the same bunk at the camp between 2004 and 2006 ultimately led to confirmation that flying squirrels living in the wall of the cabin were to blame for the illnesses.
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  Bartonella quintana in Homeless Persons
(Length:8:13)
In this podcast, Dr. Marina Eremeeva discusses an article about Bartonella quintana in homeless populations in San Francisco. Bartonella quintana is a bacterium that is transmitted by human body lice. Findings by the article’s authors suggest that Bartonella quintana may be transmitted by head lice. This could mean that populations other than homeless populations, such as school children, might be at increased risk for Bartonella quintana.
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  Avian Influenza A (H5N1)
(Length:17:15)
In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Tim Uyeki discusses H5N1, a subtype of influenza A virus. This highly pathogenic H5N1 virus doesn't usually infect people, although some rare infections with H5N1 viruses have occurred in humans. We need to use a comprehensive strategy to prevent the spread of H5N1 virus among birds, including having human health and animal health work closely together.
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Health Concerns in the Amazon Region
(Length:9:05)
Residents of the Amazon region of South America contend with a number of health threats - from mosquito-borne diseases to difficulty accessing doctors and healthcare facilities in such a vast area. This podcast helps explore some of the health issues in the region and what's being done to address them.
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Volume 15, Number 3–March 2009  

Influenza Pandemic Infrastructure Response in Thailand
(Length:6:38)
Influenza viruses change antigenic properties, or drift, every year and they create seasonal outbreaks. Occasionally, influenza viruses change in a major way, called a 'shift.' If an influenza virus shifts, the entire human population is susceptible to the new influenza virus, creating the potential for a pandemic. On this podcast, CDC's Dr. Scott Dowell discusses responding to an influenza pandemic.
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Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD)
(Length:8:04)
In this podcast, Dr. Lynne Sehulster discusses Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease. This disease is caused by a pathological accumulation in the brain of an abnormal protein known as prions.
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Rotaviruses
(Length:5:58)
CDC's Dr. Jon Gentsch discusses rotaviruses, the most important cause of severe gastroenteritis in children less than five years of age. Essentially, all children around the world get the disease during the first few years of life.
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Zoonoses
(Length:9:54)
In this podcast, Dr. King discusses zoonoses and how foxes, raccoons, and bats play an important role in the ecology of infectious diseases, such as rabies.
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View full text articles: http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/12/1835.htm; http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/12/1842.htm; and http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/12/1890.htm

Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
(Length:7:35)
In this podcast, Dr. Oeltmann discusses multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. An outbreak occurred in Thailand, which led to 45 cases in the U.S. This serious illness can take up to 2 years to treat. MDR TB is a real threat and a serious condition.
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Prophylaxis after Exposure to Coxiella burnetii
(Length: 5:00)
In this podcast, Dr. David Swerdlow discusses prophylaxis after exposure to Coxiella burnetii. It is important to know who should be treated and how they should be treated after an intentional release with possible bioterrorism agents, including Coxiella burnetii.
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Reporting of Outbreaks of Foodborne Illness under the International Health Regulations
(Length: 5:46)
During the past 20 years, the global food trade has increased and, with it, the potential for the spread of foodborne illnesses caused by imported foods. The World Health Organization in 2007 implemented new International Health Regulations which help guide reporting of foodborne outbreaks. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Scott McNabb discusses a study in the September 2008 issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases which analyzed foodborne outbreaks in Australia in the early part of this decade and assessed how many would have been reported under the current health regulations.
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Community-Associated MRSA in Uruguay
(Length: 7:23)
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that is typically associated with infections in healthcare settings. In the past couple of decades, MRSA has emerged in the community, most often causing skin infections in healthy people who haven't recently been hospitalized. After an increase in community cases in Uruguay in 2004, health officials investigated to learn more about what was happening and found some interesting trends. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Stephen Benoit discusses what they learned, the results of which are published in the August 2008 issue of CDC's journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases.
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Clostridium difficile in Humans and Food Animals
(Length: 5:34)
Clostridium difficile is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that causes diarrhea and sometimes serious intestinal illnesses. In recent years, C. difficile infections have been increasing in number and severity, including among some people outside healthcare settings. In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Michael Jhung discusses his recent study that looked at a new, increasingly prevalent strain of C. difficile in people and compared it to a strain historically found in animals to see whether the two might be linked. The study is published in the July 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
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In Memoriam: Joshua Lederberg
(Length: 11:05)
In this podcast, Dr. Peter Drotman, Editor-In-Chief of the Emerging Infectious Disease journal speaks with Dr. Jim Hughes, about an article in the June 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. They discuss Dr. Joshua Lederberg, globally recognized scientist, educator, national and Presidential scientific advisor, and Nobel Laureate who recently died at the age of 82. Dr Lederberg's early work in bacterial genetics virtually established the discipline of molecular biology, earning him a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 when he was only 33 years old.
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The Mystery of Increased Hospitalizations of Elderly Patients
(Length: 6:34)
Pneumonia is a common illness that affects millions of people in the United States every year. In some people, particularly the elderly and those who are ill from pre-existing conditions, bacterial pneumonia may follow influenza or even a common cold. Dr. Martin Meltzer, discusses two articles in the May 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases journal about increased pneumonia-related hospitalizations of elderly patients in England.
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Disparities in Arctic Health
(Length: 15:24)
Life at the top of the globe is drastically different. Harsh climate devoid of sunlight part of the year, pockets of extreme poverty, and lack of physical infrastructure interfere with healthcare and public health services. Learn about the challenges of people in the Arctic and how research and the International Polar Year address them.
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Dengue Fever Seroprevalence and Risk Factors, Texas–Mexico Border, 2004
(Length: 6:15)
Dengue fever is both endemic and underrecognized along a section of the southern Texas–Mexico border, and low income is a primary risk factor for infection. As part of a special section on Global Poverty and Human Development, Dr. Joan Marie Brunkard discusses a dengue seroprevalence survey in this region and what can be done to help prevent infection and to identify and treat those who are infected.
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Increase in Clostridium difficile–related Mortality Rates, United States, 1999–2004
(Length: 4:13)
Deaths related to Clostridium difficile are on the rise in the United States. Matthew Redelings from the Los Angeles County Department of Health discusses the increase and what can be done to prevent this infection.
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Brazilian Vaccinia Viruses and Their Origins
(Length: 4:19)
Smallpox was eradicated more than 25 years ago, but live viruses used in vaccines may have survived to cause animal and human illness today. Dr. Inger Damon, Acting Branch Chief of the Poxvirus and Rabies Branch at CDC, discusses efforts to determine origins and spread of vaccinia viruses in Brazil.
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Strategies to Reduce Person-to-Person Transmission During Widespread Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak
(Length: 7:01)
US consumers were warned not to eat raw spinach during a 2006 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, but additional warnings about person-to-person transmission could have reduced bacteria spread. Dr. Martin Meltzer discusses the research methods and findings and the authors' success in presenting them clearly and accurately.
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Pet Rodents and Fatal Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis in Transplant Patients
(Length: 4:07)
Three organ transplant recipients died from infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), which was traced back to a hamster owned by the daughter of the organ donor. Dr. Brian Amman, a mammalogist with the Special Pathogens Branch at CDC, discusses the dangers LCMV may pose to people with immune disorders, as well as to pregnant women.
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Human Benefits of Animal Interventions for Zoonosis Control
(Length: 5:01)
Industrialized countries have contained recent zoonotic disease outbreaks, but countries with limited resources cannot respond adequately. Dr. Nina Marano, veterinarian and Chief, Geographic Medicine and Health Promotion Branch, CDC, comments on the focus on animal reservoirs to prevent outbreaks in developing nations.
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Emergence of Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
(Length: 12:12)
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) outbreaks have been reported in South Africa, and strains have been identified on 6 continents. Dr. Peter Cegielski, team leader for drug-resistant TB with the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination at CDC, comments on a multinational team's report on this emerging global public health threat.
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Insecticide Resistance Reducing Effectiveness of Malaria Control
(Length: 6:40)
Malaria prevention is increasingly insecticide based. Dr. John Gimnig, an entomologist with the Division of Parasitic Diseases, CDC, discusses evidence that mosquito resistance to insecticides, which is measured in the laboratory, could compromise malaria prevention in the field.
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Spread of Rare Fungus from Vancouver Island
(Length: 9:23)
Cryptococcus gattii, a rare fungus normally found in the tropics, has infected people and animals on Vancouver Island, Canada. Dr. David Warnock, Director, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases, CDC, discusses public health concerns about further spread of this organism.
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View full text articles: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/13/1/42.htm; http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/13/1/51.htm; and http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/13/1/178.htm

Bats and SARS
(Length: 5:37)
Bats are a natural reservoir for emerging viruses, among them henipaviruses and rabies virus variants. Dr. Nina Marano, Chief, Geographic Medicine and Health Promotion Branch, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, CDC, explains connection between horseshoe bats and SARS coronavirus transmission.
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Antimicrobial Drugs in the Home, United Kingdom
(Length: 4:07)
Survey participants in the United Kingdom admitted keeping leftover antimicrobial drugs for future use and taking them without medical advice. Dr. J. Todd Weber, director of CDC's Office of Antimicrobial Resistance, advises against the practice, which can be dangerous and can promote antimicrobial drug resistance.
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